The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Rodgersia pinnata and given the cultivar name of ‘Bronze Peacock’. Rodgersia is in the family Saxifragaceae. Rodgersia ‘Bronze Peacock’ originated as a naturally occurring tissue culture mutation of Rodgersia pinnata ‘Ideal’, an unpatented plant.
Compared to the parent, Rodgersia pinnata ‘Ideal’, the new cultivar has much darker spring and summer leaves and a shorter habit.
Compared to Rodgersia pinnata ‘Chocolate Wing’, an unpatented plant, the new cultivar has smaller, thicker leaves and leaflets and much darker spring and summer leaves and shorter habit.
This new Rodgersia is uniquely distinguished by:                1. exceptionally dark and shiny spring leaves,        2. dark tinted new leaves and leaf edges in summer,        3. and excellent vigor.        
This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.